This essay--a dissection of the ongoing PLA purge--is one of the best pieces of a "Pekingology" I have ever read. Well argued, well written, complete command of the biographies of the Chinese elite married to a solid and clear eyed analytic framework. 
Next time somebody asks me "what does a good analyses of Chinese political fights look like?" I will send them this piece. Gold standard for how this should be done.
Original source here: pixy1.substack.com/p/cracking-the…
I *wish* I had written something this good. Doing Pekingology requires a lot. The analyst needs to construct timelines like these
It requires an encyclopedic knowledge of elite Chinese figures. For example, who is married to whom
Where Xi was in various points of his career--and what that might mean for his policies now
Command of historical precedents
Knowledge of Chinese political terminology
Close attention to Party regulations and directives
A framework for understanding Chinese government sources (and extra-government sources!)
Knowledge of Chinese bureaucratic institutions
And attention to the actual substance of Xi Jinping Thought
it also helps to be a good prose writer to boot
I don't know if I agree with everything in this piece--it is very long, and I am still digesting--but this is *how* it should be done.
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